Indifference to ambition

Ambition and determination are the important moral norms of China traditional culture, and they are the compulsory contents for Confucianism to advocate gentleman's self-cultivation. China's sages all aspire to lofty ideals, cultivate morality and serve the country and the people.

aim high

Zhuge Liang said, "aim high." Only by being ambitious can we overcome the immediate difficulties and our own weaknesses and move forward towards the established goals. The ancients often climbed high and looked far, indicating their aspirations. "Confucius climbed Dongshan and was small, and climbed Mount Tai and was small in the world." Only by standing high can we see far and be ambitious, regardless of the success or failure of the moment, and finally realize our grand ambitions.

Since ancient times, there have been many sayings in the Chinese nation, which are used to motivate people to make up their minds when they are young, such as "Young people who don't work hard, the oldest ones are sad", "Young people who make up their minds to go out to the countryside, can't die if they are weakened", "Those who are ambitious are not old, and those who have no ambition will live forever". Ma Yuan, a famous star in the Eastern Han Dynasty, was "seldom ambitious", and encouraged himself by saying that "her husband is determined to be strong when he is poor, and he will be strong when he is old", and made great achievements for the country's eastward expedition to the west. Therefore, it is very important to set up lofty aspirations for a person's life, but this ambition must be moral, otherwise, there will be no lofty personality realm.

Great aspirations and aspirations reflect a high level of mind and realm. People have their own aspirations. If they express their aspirations, they can be clear-minded and see their nature, and they can also be firm in their own way of returning to the truth. You can also observe your ambition, find the gap and promote it. Zi Lu's ambition is straightforward and heroic, which can enhance friendship, share joys and sorrows, and eliminate selfishness; Yan Yuan's ambition is more honest than virtue, which can enrich his nature, cultivate himself and benefit others, and weaken his reputation; The ambition of the master may be that the world is benevolent, selfless and selfless, for the sake of the world.

Zhuge Liang also said, "If you are indifferent, you can't be clear-minded, and if you are quiet, you can't be far away." That is, you can't establish lofty ambitions without indifference, and you can't be far-sighted without excluding distractions. This is Zhuge Liang's earnest instruction to his son, and it is also his wise saying about self-cultivation and moral cultivation.

one can't have lofty aspirations if he is greedy for money. It is difficult to have insight because of impetuous mind. Only by being indifferent to fame and fortune can we aspire to greatness, and peace of mind can we think carefully. Noble ideals are bound to stay away from worldly greed, and thorough thinking often flows out of a quiet state of mind. Noble personality needs lofty emotion to support it, and it needs constant pursuit and sublimation in indifference and tranquility.

The ancients said, "Where there is a will, there is a way." It doesn't mean that you can wait for success after you have established a lofty ambition. Between determination and success, we need to make unremitting efforts. If there is no actual effort, no matter how lofty the ambition is, it will be a castle in the air. Jian Zhen, a monk in the Tang Dynasty, traveled to Japan to promote Buddhism. He went through hardships and failed in the first five times. But he didn't give up until the sixth time, when he finally came to Japan and brought the culture of the Tang Dynasty to Japan. He himself became the founder of Japanese Legalist Sect.

Confucius said, "Scholars have to be unyielding, and they have a long way to go." It means that ambitious people must be strong and determined. Zilu asked, "What do you think should be done to be strong?" Confucius replied: "a gentleman can be easy-going, but he doesn't go with the flow. This is the real strength! If a gentleman wants to achieve harmony without flowing, he must establish the golden mean and be impartial. The country is politically enlightened and does not change its ethics when it is poor; The country is tyrannical, there is no moral policy, and the ambition of life will not change until death. This is the real strength! "

China's traditional culture emphasizes that a person should adhere to the ideas and principles that conform to the right path, and should not go with the flow. The value goals selected according to the right path should have firm beliefs. Only in this way can we motivate ourselves to overcome all difficulties and hardships, go forward bravely, and achieve lofty goals and ideals with fearless courage, perseverance and confidence.

The scholar is poor and has no food and clothing.

Confucius said, "The scholar is poor." It means that a gentleman should be content with poverty without losing his integrity. Gao Yun, assistant secretary of Zhongshu in the Northern Wei Dynasty, was a "gentleman" who was "solid and poor".

The officials in the Northern Wei Dynasty didn't receive any salary, but most officials had their own property, but Gao Yun didn't. His family is as poor as a church mouse, and he often relies on his sons to go up the mountain to get firewood for a living. But this did not change his ambition. In the imperial court, he was famous for his direct remonstrance. If anything was not done properly in the court, he asked to see the emperor. TaBaJun, a Wen Chengdi in the Northern Wei Dynasty, often retreated and talked to him alone. Sometimes Gao Yun's words are fierce and to the point, and TaBaJun can't listen to it, so he has to be helped down. However, TaBaJun trusted Gao Yun very much and specially promoted him to be a secretary.

One day, Situ Luli couldn't help saying to Tuoba Jun, "Your Majesty, although Gao Yun has benefited, his family is really poor!"

tuo bajun was stunned and said, "how is this possible?" "It's true that his wife and children don't even have decent clothes, and they can't come out to see people at all."

TaBaJun immediately started driving and went to Gao Yun's house in person. He saw that there were only a few straw houses in Gao Yun's house, only coarse bedding on the bed, his wife and children wearing robes made of old cotton wool, and only some pickles in the kitchen. Tuobajun sighed, and immediately gave Gao Yun five hundred silks and one thousand welcome grains, and appointed Gao Yun's eldest son Gao Yue as the prefect of Changle. Gao Yun resolutely refused, TaBaJun refused to promise. From then on, Tuoba Jun paid more attention to Gao Yun, and often called him "your husband" when he met, instead of calling him by his name.

Confucius said, "It is not enough to discuss those who are ashamed of their bad clothes and eating, because they are determined by the Tao." This means that a man with lofty ideals, since he is in the Tao, should not be greedy for enjoyment. If he is still ashamed of rough clothes and poor diet, it is not worth talking about with him. Confucius believes that a person who cares about personal trifles such as food and clothing will not have lofty aspirations, so there is no need to discuss with such people what is Tao.

It is said that there was a man named Zou Li 'an in the Ming Dynasty. When he was sixteen years old, he chatted with another candidate who came to take the exam. As soon as the man met, he asked, "How much will it cost to be admitted to the top scholar?" Zou Li 'an turned around and left, disdaining to talk to him.

People's different aspirations will lead to different mastery and views on things, so they must have a correct mind and pure aspirations, otherwise they will easily lose themselves in drifting with the tide.

in the song dynasty, Wang yi, a famous Zeng, studied hard since he was a child, devoted himself to learning, and had extraordinary ambitions. During the reign of Emperor Zhenzong, Wang Yi was admitted as the top scholar. Someone told him: "If you are admitted to the number one scholar, you will have enough to eat all your life, so you don't have to worry about food and clothing." Wang Yi said very seriously: "My ambition in my life is not to have enough food and clothing." Later, Wang Yi served as prime minister, honest and self-sustaining, doing things honestly, and the court valued him very much.

It can be seen that a gentleman should be determined from an early age, and his ambition should be clean and noble. If his ambition is noble and firm, he will not be tempted by interests when he serves the society tomorrow.

During the Jin Dynasty, there was a man named Xia Tong, who was well-read and versatile. However, due to the fact that his henchmen were in power at that time and the political affairs were dark, he refused to be an official. Many people invited him, but he refused. Once he went to the capital on business and called on Qiu Jia Chong. Jia Chong hoped to keep him and help him with his political affairs, but he could not convince him. So I tried to seduce him with power. Jia Chong summoned troops, chariots and horses, lined up neatly, blew a loud horn, invited him to join the military parade, and said to him, "If you promise to be an official, these troops, chariots and horses will be under your command, which is something that everyone envies." "These troops, chariots and horses are indeed magnificent, but I have no interest in them." Xia Tong said flatly.

Jia Chong was very disappointed. But he thought, you may not like power, but you won't dislike money, will you? So he called in a large number of beautiful geisha, dressed in beautiful clothes, and danced in front of Xia Tong. He said to Xia Tong, "If you are willing to be an official, these beautiful women are yours." However, Xia Tong refused without hesitation. He said, "This kind of enjoyment is very rare, but it is not what I want." After several persuasion, Jia Chong knew that Xia Tong could not be moved by power and beauty, so he angrily said to his family, "Xia Tong is really like a man made of wood and a heart made of stone." This is the origin of the idiom "a wooden man with a stone heart", which describes a person's firm will, and no temptation can shake him. If he accepts the temptation and changes his will, it is "moving things one by one."

It is recorded in The Analects of Confucius that Confucius and his disciples were cut off from food in a certain place in the state of Chen, and the people who followed him were so hungry that they could not get up and walk. Zilu went to see Confucius with a full face of anger and said, "Do gentlemen sometimes get into trouble?" Confucius said: "A gentleman is sometimes poor, but he can keep moral integrity. However, when the villain is in trouble, he will not restrain himself and run amok. "

Biography of Zhong Ni's Disciples in Historical Records shows that when Yuan Xian lived in Lu, he lived in poverty, and his house was poor, with incomplete doors and windows. When it leaked in the rain, he sat in it and played the piano. When receiving Zi Gong, he wore a broken hat and shoes, leaning against the door with a wooden stick. Zi Gong asked, "Is Mr. Wang sick?" Yuan Xian replied, "I have heard that poverty is called without money, and only those who learn the Tao but can't practice it can call it illness. I am poor now, not sick. "

It can be seen from this that ancient Tessa took happiness and morality as its beauty, which also told us that we should study in virtue in the spirit of happiness and morality.

The poor can't be moved, but the wishes are not violated.

There is an ancient saying that "live in poverty and enjoy the Tao". Mencius said, "Being poor and humble can't make him change his ambition. This is called a gentleman." Confucius once lamented that "a gentleman seeks Tao without seeking food" and "a gentleman worries about Tao without worrying about poverty". Yan Yuan, the most proud pupil of Confucius, is a poor and studious person. Confucius often praises him for holding rice in a basket and drinking water in a ladle, but he can never change his happiness of seeking Tao. In the face of poverty, a true gentleman is one who can live in poverty and be happy like Yan Yuan, a disciple of Confucius.

Tao Yuanming, a reclusive poet, was the great-grandson of Tao Kan. Although his grandfather was a famous figure in the Eastern Jin Dynasty, his family had declined by the time of Tao Yuanming. However, he was poor since he was a child, and he did not suffer from poverty. Although he had no outstanding achievements in his life, his noble personality and achievements in poetry were admired and recited by later generations.

As a teenager, Tao Yuanming was ambitious for the country and society. He once said that he was "ambitious to escape from all over the world", but he was in troubled times but he was ambitious. Tao Yuanming only worked as a small official four times in his life, and his time as an official was very short. It was because of his nature of being optimistic about nature and indifferent to fame and fortune that he did not want to go along with it in the hypocritical and corrupt political and social environment at that time. The last time he was an official was as Pengze County Magistrate. More than eighty days after his arrival, he met Du You from Xunyang County to check his official duties. Du You's taste is very low, and he is a vulgar and arrogant person. He often asks for bribes from the counties under his jurisdiction under the guise of patrolling. However, the county official said, "Be bound to welcome it." That is, you should dress neatly, prepare gifts and greet them respectfully. Tao Yuanming sighed, "How can I bow down to the children in the village for five buckets of rice?" It means how can I humbly bribe these people to pay attention to the salary of the county magistrate, so I quit my job and retired to the countryside.

At that time, he wrote a "farewell speech" to see his ambition. In the preface, he said: "It is natural in nature, but it is not obtained by strenuous efforts. If you are hungry and frozen, you will get sick against yourself ..." Under the contradiction between "hungry and frozen" and "against yourself", he made an difficult choice. This means that his wife and children will starve with him, which means that he has no money to buy his favorite wine ... He even begged for food driven by hunger! A generation of literary giant Su Dongpo can't help but feel sad for him when he reads his "begging for food" poem!

However, in this unimaginable ordeal, he always has no regrets and enjoys being poor. He expects himself to be "well-clothed, but he keeps his wish" and does not worry about his difficult situation. It can be seen that Tao Yuanming knows himself thoroughly: instead of floating and sinking in a muddy stream, his heart can't be quiet, so he might as well jump out of this muddy water and set his soul free. For him, "against himself" is more than "hunger and freezing". So, in order to be a noble "man", he abandoned the secular name and chose to live in seclusion and return to the embrace of the mountains and forests, returning to his true self in life.

It can be seen that the hardships of real life will not frustrate a person with wisdom and determination. Tao Yuanming's courage is admirable. If you don't really know yourself and eagerly seek the value and freedom of life, it is difficult for ordinary people to make a choice in front of interests. In troubled times, the world is turbid. Tao Yuanming can not go along with the flow, not sell his soul, respect his ambition, and choose to hang on to my heart.

Brave and unyielding ambition of pine and cypress

Cai Yuanding, whose name is Jitong, was a famous Neo-Confucianist in the Southern Song Dynasty and was born in Jianyang, Jianzhou (now Jianyang, Fujian). Cai Yuanding is intelligent by nature. He can write poems at the age of eight, and he can write thousands of words every day. Once at the top of the western hills, I endured hunger and studied hard with wild vegetables. Later, Zhu Xi became a teacher. When Zhu Xi learned about his knowledge, he was shocked and said, "You should be my friend, not among my disciples."

Later, Zhu Xi was attacked by powerful traitors, and Cai Yuanding was also implicated and exiled to Daozhou. However, Cai Yuan was unyielding and walked three thousand miles with his son on crutches. His feet were bleeding, and his face was still not reluctant. After being demoted, Cai Yuanding didn't worry about being attacked and harmed at all, but still insisted on preaching enlightenment and accepting disciples. Many people came to study here and far. He once admonished his children: "When you walk alone, you don't feel guilty about your own shadow;" When I sleep alone, I don't feel guilty facing the quilt. Don't slack off your ambitions just because I am convicted. " It means that you should be upright and have a clear conscience, and don't change your ambition and integrity in the face of disasters.

Cai Yuanding had a deep understanding of righteousness, adhered to integrity, and was indifferent to fame and fortune. After the imperial court's autocratic traitor was killed, Cai Yuanding was given a "literary festival" in recognition of his profound knowledge and unyielding integrity. Zhu Xi also regrets Cai Yuanding's outstanding talent and unyielding integrity, and such people will never be seen again.

Zong Shilin was a native of Nanyang at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty. He and Cao Cao were contemporaries, but he looked down upon Cao Cao as a man and didn't want to associate with him. Later, Cao Cao became an official and took over the power of state affairs. He said to him, "Can we communicate now?" He refused to say, "The ambition of pine and cypress still exists."

Most people don't want to live a life of poverty, hardship and displacement, but want wealth and comfort. But this must be obtained through proper means and channels. If you get it by improper means, a gentleman will not enjoy it; Poverty and meanness are disgusting to everyone, but if we get rid of them by improper means, we can't get rid of them. Confucius said: "A gentleman who goes to benevolence is as evil as fame." How can a gentleman be called a gentleman if he leaves Benevolence? A gentleman doesn't have a meal time to deviate from benevolence. Even in the most urgent moment, he must act according to benevolence, and even when he is displaced, he will certainly uphold benevolence. Confucius said, "There is no evil if you are bent on benevolence." If you set your mind on benevolence, you won't do bad things. If you cultivate benevolence, you won't do bad things, that is, you won't commit insurrection, do evil, and you won't be arrogant and extravagant. Instead, you can do good deeds that benefit yourself, others and the world.

a gentleman is not evil, otherwise he would rather stay poor than enjoy wealth. This concept still has its value that cannot be underestimated today. If people get rich or avoid poverty by unjust means, everyone will do whatever they want and do whatever they want, which will eventually lead to social disaster and even human self-destruction! Only indifferent to fame and fortune, determined to be promising, proud of altruism, proud of benefiting the people, proud of benefiting the country, everyone